One Month To Go!

This weekend was a busy one. With only five more weeks until the wedding, taking care of details has become a little more urgent than before.

On Friday I had a hair trial with my stylist, Naomi Lewis. I showed her multiple print-outs of some hairstyles, and then in my haphazard way, tried to describe the variations that I wanted on those styles.

"Like this, but lower. And like this, but with a bit more volume. And maybe less "messy" looking... If possible?"

Somehow, out of my incoherent string of words, she managed to figure out what I wanted.

From the back!

And later that night as I disassembled my hair, I wondered how it was possible that she had gotten so many bobby-pins in my hair. This is what 42 bobby pins look like.

42 bobby pins jammed in my scalp.

After the hair trial, I went to have a dress fitting. The tiny Asian seamstress scolded me for forgetting my shoes!

"Bad! Very bad! Shoes very important! You must come back again with shoes!"

Saturday was a birthday celebration for Tom's grandma, Ethel. Ethel is now officially 90 years old! If I were to meet her all over again, I would never guess that she's 90. She's still as sharp and witty as ever, and she's mobile too!

Ashley, Ethel and I, posing with the cake.

On Sunday, I went to my bridal shower, hosted by Ashley and Heather.

Only one word can describe it: FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm ashamed to admit, it never really occured to me how much work is involved in organizing a shower. But Ashley and Heather thought of everything! Tasty cocktails, snacks, shower favours, games, prizes... Plus, I was showered with generous and thoughtful gifts!!!

Unfortunately... The shower allowed some questionable events to be captured on camera. Hopefully those don't come back to haunt me...

I got dressed in the dark.

I had a really good time. I had one of those moments were I thought, "Wow, I really really have great friends." It was nice to see people from all differents parts of my life mingling in one room.

These next few weeks are full of appointments and lists of "Things to do" so the wedding day runs smoothly. Exactly one month to go!

Burgess Shale

I have a wicked headache this morning. It has nothing to do with partying--I was asleep at 11pm last night. I suspect it has more to do with dehydration and the the 20km hike we did yesterday.

Considering how many posts I've made about hiking, some of you guys must be thinking that I'm some kind of hard-core hiker. I'm really not. Up until a year ago, I could probably count the number of hikes I've done on one hand! Three fingers, to be exact. But after our Grand Canyon hike last September, Tom and I realized that hiking is a pretty enjoyable way to explore the outdoors. It would be even more enjoyable if I could figure out how to prevent blistering all over my feet... But I've had no luck with that so far. So I guess I'll have to keep experimenting. Toe socks were NOT the answer.

I digress!

Me and Paige (aka "Organizer Extraordinaire," aka "Expert Cat Herder").

In May, Paige bid and won a guided hike to the Burgess Shale in a silent auction. If you've never heard of it before, the Burgess Shale is one of the most prolific fossil beds in the world. The Burgess Shale is unique in that it has captured many soft-part organisms that were previously unseen (or rarely seen) in the rock record. As you can imagine, it's much easier for hard shells (like on lobsters or crabs) to be preserved for 505 million years than soft, unprotected legs and appendages. And for a bunch of young geologists and geophysicists, the Burgess Shale (specifically Walcott Quarry) is a fascinating attraction.

For weeks in advance, Paige got us organized. She got us to sign waivers, researched camping sites and ensured that everyone had a ride and a tent to sleep in. I certainly appreciate her efforts! Getting 12 people on the same page (no pun intended) is an exhausting task. I'm sure it sometimes felt like she was herding cats. For this reason, I dub her "Expert Cat Herder."

On Friday, our group of 12 headed out of the city toward Yoho National Park. After a night of camping (next to the highway and the CP Rail line), we woke up groggy-- bright and early.

As an aside-- did anyone else realize how constant the stream of trains were through the mountains? It seriously felt like there was a train passing the campsite every 20 minutes, all night. Believe me-- I heard it. The never ending screech of metal train on metal tracks. Not the most conducive setting for sleeping!

I digress again!

We met our guide in Field, and then drove convoy to our starting point-- the public washrooms at Takakkaw Falls. A series of switchbacks would start our elevation gain of 760m (2500ft) over 10km.

Takakkaw Falls.

I think the guide underestimated the level of fitness in our group. We motored to our first stop, Yoho Lake.

Yoho Lake (4km mark).

Then we sped along to our lunch stop. We were way ahead of schedule, even including several stops for scenic photos.

The view of Emerald Lake from our lunch stop.

Us, trailblazing.

The problem with all our trailblazing is that we eventually caught up to the group ahead of us. Because the Burgess Shale is a UNESCO World Heritage site, it is very well monitored. There are motion sensors buried in the ground, and video cameras at the site. You can only go into Walcott Quarry with a guide. Only one guided group is allowed in the quarry at a time. You can not take fossils out of the site.

Usually there are only one or two groups on the trail on a given day. However, there were three groups this particular day. We ended up waiting over an hour for a Parks Canada group before we could go into the quarry. While we waited on the side of the trail for them to pass, Jill noted their pace was much more "sedate" than ours. The term "geriatric" maybe have been substituted for "sedate." But hey! That's okay-- it was well worth the wait.

Outcrop of the Burgess Shale in Walcott Quarry.

Of course, there were fossils galore! Big fossils, small fossils... All so fragile and delicate looking. And creepy crawly! I don't think I'd want one of these things crawling around in my house!

I don't remember what this is.

Haplophrentis inhabited a small, conical shell.

Trilobite, a creepy arthropod.

There were things other than fossils to occupy us in the quarry. There were more spectacular views.

Emerald Glacier.

And when the views weren't enough, we could take out our frustration and boredom by bludgeoning Jeff.

Tom bludgeons an unsuspecting Jeff.

Little did we know-- the bludgeon had fossils in it!

Seriously, there were fossils in everything.

But don't worry, Jeff was okay. Tom beat him where the marks wouldn't show.

Jill, Jeff and I at Walcott Quarry.

Tom napping after his strenuous beat-down of Jeff.

When we finished up at the quarry, we started the 10km trek down. We were making pretty good time. To give you an idea of our pace, we eventually caught up with the Parks Canada group that had left an hour ahead of us.

And then, a bizarre thing happened.

The Parks Canada group wouldn't move out of the way.

I was a bit confused. Like I've said before-- I'm not an overly experienced hiker. But I always thought that on a hiking trail, it's common courtesy to pull over to the side to let people (or groups) who are moving faster than you, pass. Apparently no one in this group was aware of this. At one point, Paige and Tom got ahead of me, and I got stuck behind five Parks Canada people. After trailing them for a few minutes, I finally asked if I could scoot past them so I could catch up with my group. They were amiable enough when I asked-- but they seemed surprised. As in, "Oh! You want to catch up with your group?" Even more bizarre, the Parks Canada guide was with them too! It was definitely an odd way to end the day.

I am tempted to end this post with a grotesque photo of my blistery feet... But I'll spare you. This time.

If you're interested in hiking the Burgess Shale, you can do so by booking a guide through the Burgess Shale Geoscience Foundation website: http://www.burgess-shale.bc.ca/. It's a long day, but you won't regret it!

Hiking + Long Weekend = Bad Idea

Johnston Canyon, Banff National Park.

Last weekend was the August long weekend. Tom and I hadn't gone anywhere, and the previous day we braved Cross Iron Mills to get Tom new hiking shoes in preparation for the Burgess Shale hike we'll be doing in a couple weeks. So it seemed like a good idea to do a day hike to break the shoes in a little.

We settled on Johnston Canyon, located just outside of Banff. It's not difficult, it's about 11.6km return (to the Ink Pots) and it's well marked on the highway.

When we arrived at the Banff National Parks, we waited in the longest line of cars I have EVER seen. Everyone was waiting to buy a day pass. It took us about 15-20 minutes to make it through the line. This is a long time, considering I've only ever had to wait about a minute on other occasions, with three toll booths open. This time, there were 6-8 toll booths open!

This was the first clue that we'd made a terrible, terrible mistake.

Once we FINALLY got in the park, we passed Banff and turned onto the Bow Valley Parkway. After a short drive, we finally saw signs directing us to Johnston Canyon.

Then, we arrived at the parking lot. Oh... The parking lot. Our next clue that we'd made a terrible, terrible mistake.

The parking lot was overflowing with vehicles. Cars parked where it clearly said, "NO PARKING." Cars spilling out of the parking lot onto the shoulder of the road. Giant campers taking up two spaces. People milling around, cars waiting aggressively for other cars to pull out of their spots... It was like the Chinook Centre parking lot two days before Christmas!

It really is a scenic hike. If you ever have relatives coming from out of town and you want to show them something quick, easy and beautiful in the Rockies, Johnston Canyon is the place to go.

There are a lower and upper waterfall.

Lower falls (I think?).

There is also some interesting geology. In one section of the canyon, limestone is exposed. Over time, water has run down the face of the limestone and eroded it. The result is that the rock face looks a bit like it is melting and dripping into the bottom of the canyon.

Limestone cliff is slowly being eroded by water.

Once we passed this limestone cliff, the paved interpretive trail ended. That meant that most of the tourists didn't continue on for the last portion of the hike. We were relieved that we weren't elbow to elbow with families pushing strollers, or stuck behind ladies in three inch heels and elderly couples out for a weekend stroll. We also had to stop several times while the people in front of us attempted to pet begging squirrels and chipmunks. I read somewhere that a lot of tourists get bitten by squirrels that now expect to be fed by tourists.

Our final destination was the Inkpots, six greenish coloured pools that are filled with spring water that maintains a constant 1 degree Celsius temperature year round.

The Inkpots.

After briefly admiring the Inkpots, a thunderhead passed directly over us and let out the largest BOOM of thunder I've heard in a long time. It rained a bit as we hurried back down the trail. We weren't too wet for the drive home.

The batteries in our camera basically died the instant we got on the trail. So these photos were taken with Tom's new cell phone. Not too shabby!

Unfortunately we don't have any photos from the camping trip we made this weekend. But we'll be sure to take some when we're in Field next week for the Burgess Shale hike!

Under the Sea

A few shots from under the sea!

As photographed by Jeff... With a little help from Ashley.

"It's better, down where it's wetter, take it from me!"

- Sebastian the Crab (Little Mermaid)

These little guys let Jeff join their school.

These fish were in very shallow water.

Coral and spikiness.

This turtle was attempting to sleep, but had attracted a large crowd of snorkelers.

Me clutching Ashley and Shauna. Shauna attempting to get away.